Automotive vehicles, generally those vehicles that are wheeled and self-propelled, may used to carry wide variety of objects that are too large or long to be carried inside the automotive vehicle. These objects may include sporting equipment (e.g., canoes, kayaks; standup paddle boards, surf boards, dinghies, etc.), construction materials (plywood sheets, piping, lumber, etc.); tools (e.g., extension ladders, scaffolding, etc.); home furnishings (mattresses, bed frames, book cases, etc.); seasonal decorations (e.g., Christmas trees, outside decorations, etc.); and the like. The dimensions of these objects may dictate they be secured to the top or roof of a vehicle (e.g., attached or secured to a top [e.g., a roof rack.])
Two issues may arise as a result of this type of transportation. First, the act of placing such objects upon the automotive vehicle's top, due to object's bulk weight and the height of the automotive vehicle (e.g., vans, minivans, sports utility vehicles, etc.), may require considerable exertion and effort to do so, especially if only one person is loading the object upon the top. If the loading is not performed competently, it could also result in damage to automotive vehicle or the object, or worse, result in personal injury.
The second issue in the use of such transport could occur when the loaded object(s) is longer in length than length of the top or roof of the automotive vehicle. In such aspects, the rear portion of the object could overhang from the vehicle top. This overhanging rear portion of the top-loaded object could have serious impact on the load stability of the object when traveling at high speeds. At such speeds, the accumulating wind pressure upon a front portion of the top-loaded object, in combination with the object's overhang, could cause the object to shift or otherwise fall off the moving automotive vehicle. At the very least, rear overhanging top objects could call the attention of law enforcement to a potentially unsafe driving situation and possibly leading to the issuance of a traffic citation to the driver.
What could be needed is a telescopic rack that could attach to a trailer or tow hitch of an automotive vehicle to adjustably present a top tube assembly with one or more rollers in a horizontal orientation distal from the trailer hitch. For the loading or unloading operations, the telescopic rack could be placed in a more compact position, height wise, locating the top tube assembly below the height of vehicle's top. This positioning could allow the operator to place an object (that is to be loaded upon the top of the automotive vehicle) so that the object's front portion rests upon the telescopic rack's roller(s). By lowering a rear portion of the object relative to the top tube assembly, the operator could then angle the object's front portion upwards towards a rear edge of the automotive vehicle's top. As the operator moves the object along the one or more rollers, the object (e.g., the front portion) could engage the rear edge of the vehicle's top (e.g., the roof rack) and then move past the rear edge and over the top. As the object's movement continues, a center of gravity (e.g., middle portion) of object could engage and then pass over the rear edge generally allowing the weight of the object to then drop the front portion upon the top or roof, placing most of the object upon the top of the vehicle. The telescopic rack could then be extended lengthwise so that the top tube assembly may engage and support the overhanging rear portion of the object as loaded upon the top.